• NIMC says extortion and corruption cases dropped by at least 40%

• Over 120 million Nigerians enrolled in the national ID database

• Concerns remain over high fees for correcting personal data

Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced a reduction of at least 40% in extortion and corruption cases related to the National Identification Number (NIN) registration process.

The statement was made by NIMC Director General Abisoye Coker-Odusote during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, May 14.

“We have reduced incidents of extortion and corruption by at least 40 percent. While this process is still ongoing, the progress we have made so far is substantial,” she said.

She added that the agency has enrolled many Nigerians and continues to do so. Efforts will continue to ensure more Nigerians are registered before the end of the year.

This progress is attributed to NIMC’s collaboration with the World Bank through the Nigeria Identification for Development (ID4D) project. The partnership has increased registration numbers, reaching 120 million Nigerians enrolled to date.

NIMC has also engaged the private sector through the “Frontier Partners” program, allowing private agents to support NIN registration nationwide.

The Commission plans to continue its efforts to register more individuals by the end of 2025. However, concerns remain over the high fees for certain data modifications. Correcting a date of birth now costs 28,574 naira (approximately 17.83 dollars).